SUNK BY CHANCE.
THE LUSITANIA TRAGEDY GERMAN SUBMARINE CAPTAIN’S STORY MOST TERRIBLE SIGH! 1 EVER SEEN) REPRIMANDED BY EX-KAISER United Press Asbb. by El. Tel. OopyTiebt (United Service.) NEW YORK, Oct, 26. The Lusitania was sunk “by chance” rather than by specific German orders, according to an account of Commander "Walther Schweiger. captain of the U-boat 20, in Lowell Thomas’ hook, “Sea Raiders” published to-day. Commander Schweiger’s story is: “I sighted on the horizon a forest of masts and stacks, and at first thought there were several ships. I perceived that one was coming on and dived immediately for a shot. The ship changed her course at two miles distance, making a perfect target. I waited for a short time. I had only two inferior bronzes remaining. At 400 yards I ordered ‘Fire’. “The torpedo hit the ship. We approached, and the pilot, peering through the periscope, yelled: ‘My God, it is the Lusitania.’ I took the periscope and saw the ship sinking unbelievedly rapidly. There was terrible panic on deck. It was the most terrible sight I have ever seen. It was impossible to give help.” On returning to Germany Commander Schweiger was appalled with the anger of outraged humanity; he was reprimanded by the ex-Kaiser and brother officers. The consensus of opinion, according „to Mr Thomas, was that Commander Schweiger merely carried out orders to sink any ship in blockaded waters.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GIST19281029.2.39
Bibliographic details
Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10729, 29 October 1928, Page 5
Word Count
233SUNK BY CHANCE. Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10729, 29 October 1928, Page 5
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